Zippered Pouch Tutorial

Hello friends!

I loved reliving our adventure to Birmingham to visit Allison Sadler at The People Shop and Lauren Guthrie at Guthrie and Ghani through Jenny’s lovely post. We had such a good time and got so much out of our trip: Business and pleasure, and they tell you not to mix the two!! As Jenny said, we have had an exciting flurry of activity over on instagram with quite a few new followers - we’re calling it the ‘Allison Sadler Effect’! We were so pleased with the increased interest, that we decided to have a giveaway on instagram - our very first! After a slow start (I’m not ashamed to say I had started to panic!!), we had lots of entries and 2 packages each containing 1 tie-dye pouch, 2 fabric button bookmarks and 2 gift tags hand dyed and handmade by us, are winging their way to 2 happy followers…….

I love making zippered pouches! Ever since the other, very patient Brownie (thank you lovely friend!!) taught me how a few years ago, I haven’t really stopped. So many of my family and friends have received them as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. I had seen Jenny teach one of our friends how to make one and it looked complicated but once I had made one, it all made sense and I had the know-how to make any kind of zippered pouch!

The pouches we will be selling in our shop have boxed corners as per the pic above. If you fancy making a boxed corners pouch, have a look at this tutorial.

My tutorial however, will teach you how to make a simpler and quicker, straight-edged zippered pouch, which will then enable you to make more of any size, pretty much any shape - rectangular, square, semi-circular, triangular. Of course they are so useful too. You could use them to store coins, crochet hooks, makeup, sunglasses, pencils, your travel sewing kit and so on! The pouch is lined too and I absolutely love matching fabrics! Every time I open a pouch I have made, it makes me smile because they are fab on the inside too!

What you need is:

Main fabric

Lining fabric

Fabric Interfacing - our local haberdashery sells a lovely soft cotton interfacing which is not iron on. But iron-on interfacing such as this is fine.

Matching/contrasting zip of appropriate length. For this tutorial I have used a 23cm/9” zip. The zip should be the exact size you need or slightly bigger. If the zip is smaller than the length of pouch you are making, you will have to add some fabric at each side of the zip.

Matching thread

Two Crafty Brownies Sewing Essentials

What you do is:

To work out the size of fabric, lining and interfacing panels needed, to the measurement of your zip, add 2cm (0.5cm seam allowance plus 0.5cm, i.e. 1 cm, to each side of the zip). My zip length is 23cm, so my panels will be 25cm (23cm +2cm) length. I decided to make my pouch 14cm deep, so my final measurements are 25cm x 14cm.

Cut 2 panels of the main fabric, 2 panels of the lining fabric and 2 panels of the interfacing using these measurements. I made a template (but of course!) of the measurements and used this to guide me.

Place the zip with teeth uppermost on top of and at the top edge of a panel of lining, right side facing up.

Then place a panel of main fabric on top of the zip and lining with right side facing down. Lining and main fabric should be right sides facing.

Place a panel of interfacing on top of the main fabric.  If the interfacing is iron-on, make sure the ‘adhesive’ part faces down.

Pin all these layers (lining, zip, main fabric and interfacing) together.

Open the zip a few centimetres so that you can start to stitch without the zipper pull getting in the way.

Using the zipper foot on your sewing machine, join these layers together, taking the pins out as you go. When you get close to the zipper pull, stop stitching, lift the zipper foot and pull the zip closed and continue stitching. Note: I used red thread uppermost and black thread in the bobbin. You will top stitch later so it is good to have the correct colours in place!

Turn the fabric so that all layers are on the same side of the zip, with main fabric uppermost and press with a hot iron.

Repeat this process with the remaining panels.

With the zipper foot still on your machine, top stitch these top seams, again moving the zipper pull out of the way of the zipper foot.

Now open the zip halfway, match and pin lining to lining and main fabric/interfacing to main fabric/interfacing, marking with pins, a gap of approx 5cm. This gap is important - without it you will not be able to turn your pouch the right way round. Also note: The zipper teeth should face the lining on the inside.

Attach the normal sewing foot to your machine. At this point I changed the bobbin thread to red to ensure the thread colour matched the main fabric. I wasn’t worried it didn’t match the lining as it would be on the inside.

Stitch a 0.5cm seam allowance all the way round remembering that gap, taking care when stitching over the zip. Take the pins out as you go.

Snip the 4 corners, to make them pointy when turned the right way round.

Trim the zip a little so the ends are not bulky when the pouch is turned the right way round.

Turn the pouch the right way round, using the gap in the lining, pulling through the lining and the main fabric, then the lining out of the main fabric (this will make sense when you are doing it, promise!), poking out the corners using a blunt pencil or similar object. Press with a hot iron.

Sew the opening in the lining closed by hand or machine stitch.

Now tuck the lining into the main fabric and give it a good press with a hot iron. You are done and now all you have to do is fill it with something nice or gift it to someone you love! What will you put in yours? Spools of thread? Sweets? Pencils? Your badge collection?!.....

I made this one with my boy in mind, which I am pretty sure he is going to put his lego in!.....

Here are a few more I made........

Thanks for tuning in as always. We are so very grateful for all the love and support we have been given right from the beginning of this journey, not just on social media but here on our blog too. Thank you lovelies!

Have a happy weekend!

Lucy xxxxxxxx

Comments

[Kelly]

A post like this (LOVE those zippered pouches!!) makes me wish I were a seamstress. I guess it's never too late? *sigh* Instead, I've forwarded it to my daughter. She's a novice with her sewing machine, but maybe it will inspire her to try something different. ;) (hint, hint, if you see this comment, Victoria)

[Anne Donald]

If only you had posted this last week, before I bought a Craftsy Class on the same subject!! But then Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz, wouldn't have earned commission on my purchase!) Never mind, between the Craftsy class and your excellent tutorial, I shall be turning out zippy bags by the score!!
Have a great weekend, Anne xx

[Two Crafty Brownies]

Hi Kelly
Thank you so much! They are so much fun to make and quick once you get the hang of it. Next on the list is a zippered book bag with handles for my little girls friend for her birthday. I hope Victoria gives it a go! Have a lovely weekend,
Lucy xxx

[Two Crafty Brownies]

Hello lovely Anne! Well I am pleased that Meredithe got her commission! I look forward to seeing some zippered pouches on your blog! Have a great weekend, Lucy xxx